I know, I know... I should just get to writing Chapter 15 and get that posted. But I decided to finish up Chapter 14 in the same place as I did with the original Chapter...
So anyway, nothing actually changed in the original rewrite, except that I added more to it, there's about 3 pages more than when I posted the first time.
Like I mentioned, this chapter has changed from the original in many ways, mainly in how Ban and Cat interact with each other now. I took out the tension and replaced it, though I did keep some of the jealousy, which will play a little part in Chapter 15. I did add more conversation between Cat and Gowther, and brought in a little more of her, or at least something about her mother, which I know I haven't really spoken too much about.
I hope this chapter gives you guys some insight in how I envision Hecate's relationship with the other Sins to be, and how that will continue to evolve as the chapters get posted.
As always, thank you guys for reading, and I hope you enjoy this longer, semi-new chapter. I promise to get another chapter up soon!
Please let me know what you think, I love hearing from everyone!
See you all next update!
Disclaimer: I do not own Seven Deadly Sins, which is a Sin in itself, or any of the major plotlines. I do however, happily own Hecate and Dante, and whatever deviations from the storyline that come about.
Please note that this story contains: Mature subject manner, swearing, gore, and potential mature subject matter in the future.
It was lively in the tavern the next morning as Meliodas tried to get the others, aside from Elizabeth, to eat his cooking, but they were being resilient. King even complained about wishing Ban was up to cook for them or even Cat instead of having to put up with his cooking. At least those two made things taste decently.
Not one to take offense, Meliodas merely grinned at the Faerie and motioned towards the stairs. "Feel free to wake them then." He spoke slyly, knowing for a fact that no one would do that.
"No…" King immediately replied, grimacing as he remembered the last time he had done that. It did not go well for him.
"What's the worst those two could do if you did?" Hawk asked curiously, missing the shared, knowing look between the three Sins.
"Let's just say…" Diane began awkwardly, looking over at their Captain a bit.
"They're not morning people. They've snapped our heads off when we've woken them up." The blonde man supplied with a laugh, but the joke seemed to be lost on Elizabeth.
"It's awfully late though, isn't it?" Elizabeth mentioned, glancing at the stairs in worry. She was used to Cat, at least, being up early and downstairs before anyone else, but now, it was getting close to midday.
"They do this on occasion." King mentioned with a sigh, causing the princess to look over at him curiously.
No one seemed surprised or worried about the two missing Sins. While it shouldn't have come to a surprise to her, it did. Despite being with the Sins for a bit now, she was still surprised about the others and just how deep the relationship between everyone was.
"What do you mean?" the princess asked curiously, looking between King, Meliodas and Diane.
"Cat and Ban will often go off at night and talk. When that happens they usually sleep in until someone falls out of bed or gets pushed out." Diane supplied with a giggle.
"I didn't know they even left the tavern after all went to bed…" Elizabeth admitted, feeling almost ashamed that the others knew about this, but she was left in the dark. "I wonder what they were talking about…" She mused, tapping her chin a little.
"The Necropolis." King told them quietly, looking out the window a bit. "They're part of the reason why we were able to enter that place…" He admitted.
After the events from yesterday, King had a lot to think about when it came to the immortal and halfling. There was something left unsaid with the two and he knew it concerned Elaine in some way. He hated to admit it, but he was looking at him differently, and he wanted to know what had really happened in the forest and why Elaine had perished. He doubted he would ever understand them though… despite how open they were, they held so much back. They were the only ones who could answer the mountain of questions he had, but even he knew now wasn't the time to get them.
"So they do this alone then?" Elizabeth asked for clarification, wondering of she would need to keep an eye out for them when that happened.
"Well, back in the day, they often did it every few months. It was kinda like a tradition for them. They'd disappear for a few days before coming back early in the mornings and never getting up till the afternoon." Diane remembered with a small laugh.
"Yeah, the amount of times we'd find them passed out is uncountable though." Meliodas snickered, his head a bit.
"So this is a common thing, then?" Elizabeth asked, blinking in amazement at such a thing. "I never thought that they did something like that…" She murmured.
"Oh yeah," Diane smiled at her. "I mean, you've seen how they act around each other, they're so in sync that it sometimes seems like they're sharing a brain."
"Not really, they're just a like." Meliodas shook his head. "Anyway, point is, you don't need to worry about them, this is a common occurrence. Besides, any moment now they'll wake up and come down."
Almost like he had a sixth sense, a loud thud sounded from above and two identical groans echoed right afterward. The Sins chuckled at that and Elizabeth visibly relaxed, smiling softly as sounds of conversation could be heard.
"See!" the blonde man laughed with a grin. "Now all we have to do is wait for them."
It wasn't long before the group could hear the two moving about and a door closing above.
"I can't believe you pulled me down like that!" Cat could be heard complaining as she and Ban came down the stairs. "My ass hurts thanks you!"
"Yeah, well you should have been awake by now!" Ban countered, rubbing his head.
"You know when we're in a good place, I sleep like the dead." Cat responded and everyone in the tavern could picture her rolling her eyes at the man.
"Besides, how was I supposed to know you were clinging onto me?" the immortal poked her as they entered the main room.
Both of them had a serious case of bedhead that morning, but the two looked more rested than Elizabeth had ever seen. There was something sparkling in their eyes as if they knew there was nothing for them to worry about any longer. The two stuck close, never moving too far from the other as they moved about.
"Because you always hold onto me when you sleep, or did you forget about that?" the halfling stated as if it was common sense. "Besides, last thing I remember was falling asleep outside." She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Yeah, right on top of me." Ban rolled his eyes at her, before looking down at the woman fondly. "Such an adorable little Kitten too." He winked at her, and the rest of them watched as Cat flushed.
"Oh hush you!" She playfully swatted at the man, causing him to laugh merrily.
"Morning!" Meliodas chirped, deciding to help the two realize that they had an audience.
Cat flushed at the sight of the grinning group, the Sins especially pleased with how the two of them were acting. Ban, for his part, just grinned lazily back at them and ruffled Hecate's hair affectionately.
"Morning." they replied casually, giving the others a lazy wave.
"About time you guys got up!" Hawk squeaked, causing the two to look down at him. "We got stuff to do today!"
"Yeah, we know." They replied with a shrug, but anyone could tell that it meant very little to them. They moved at their own pace, everyone knew that.
Hawk huffed at the two as Ban headed into the kitchen to whip something up for them while Hecate gave the others a sheepish smile and sat over at the bar, grabbing a piece of fruit to munch on. Ban scoffed at her as he cooked, only to smirk when she stuck her tongue at him.
Elizabeth watched the two actors around each other, now thinking back on the times she saw them together to how they were now. She could tell there was something different with them, something had changed since the night before. Whatever it was, it made the princess smile a bit.
"Geez, can't they stop staring?" Ban grumbled to his Kitten, causing her to giggle as she finished her piece of fruit.
"Leave them alone. They always do this after we go out." Hecate reminded him with a teasing smile.
The immortal merely rolled his eyes at her and finished their breakfast, plating it before joining her on the other side with a bottle of ale. Hecate merely rolled her eyes at the bottle, but thanked the man as she began eating. Saying nothing, the man did the same while the others talked amongst themselves.
After everyone finished eating, Meliodas assigned chores to the group while he went out to talk with Hawk's Mama about something. No one was happy about it though, but they begrudgingly followed through if it meant no delays in their travels. They didn't need their Captain to get on their cases.
As Hecate worked, Elizabeth came up to her with a sheepish smile on her face. Smiling back at the princess, the halfling welcomed her company and the two worked side by side sweeping and mopping the floors.
"Did something happen between you and Ban?" the girl asked out of pure curiosity, causing the blue-haired woman to pause and blinked at her in surprise. "I-I mean, it seems like something is different between you two is all…" She backtracked a little, causing the halfling to laugh softly.
"I understand what you mean, Elizabeth." Hecate assured her with a soft smile. "I'm just surprised it's noticeable, is all." She admitted sheepishly. "It was a talk that was long overdue is all…" She told her softly.
"I'm so glad to hear that!" She giggled softly, smiling broadly at the woman. "It seems like you two really needed that talk." She mused softly.
"Yeah… we did…" Hecate's voice softened along with the smile on her face as, she continued mopping. "We hadn't really had time to talk much since we got back together. As you can imagine," She chuckled softly, "being around us is a little hectic sometimes."
"True…" Elizabeth admitted sheepishly, "But you all have each other's backs! Even King came to help you two out! That has to say something!" she insisted, missing the amusement on the woman's face.
"Elizabeth," Hecate chuckled softly. "I know that the Sins have our back, no matter what. It's kinda part of the oath we took when the Captain recruited us. 'To work and keep each other's back, even in time of strife.'" She recited with amusement. "Man… sometimes he really has us wound around his finger, and before this, I was only with them for two years..." She chuckled with a shake of her head.
Elizabeth listened with awe as the halfling spoke, still amazed at how easily the woman could talk about things like this. Elizabeth could only imagine what the group would have been like, before they were banished. She had ideas and pictures, but seeing them how, before her, she knew the stories made the group to be different than they appeared to be. But it made her smile to know that this mysterious group were nothing like the stories the other Knights made them out to be.
It wasn't long before the chores were finished and everyone lounged around. While most of the Sins were inside, Hecate decided to get fresh air and found herself walking around on Hawk's Mama's head. It was beautiful outside and the woman relished the feel of the sun on her bare skin. She sat down near the edge of Hawk Mama's head, smiling softly as she pulled her knee in close to her body. She was feeling good about everything, despite the chaos that followed them.
"You and Ban are definitely happier now…" a voice mused from her side.
Turning, Hecate smiled sheepishly over at Diane, who had a teasing smile on her face. It didn't surprise her that the change, if there really was one, was noticeable to the others.
"We had a good talk, that's all." The halfling laughed softly, shaking her head a little.
"Yeah, I'm sure that's it." The giantess teased playfully and offered the halfling her hand so they could talk a bit better.
Accepting the gesture, Hecate made herself comfortable on Diane's shoulder, smiling as she walked around the area.
"It's is, though!" Hecate giggled, smiling at her friend. "It's been a crazy time lately, so we never really got to talk all that much."
"I'm kinda jealous, you know…" The giantess admitted to her with a little sigh. "I wish I had that closeness with Captain…" She sighed wistfully.
"What about King?" Hecate promoted gently, watching as a sheepish smile crossed her face shyly and she began twisting one of her pigtails in her hand.
"T-that's a but different than what you and Ban have…" She murmured, avoiding eye contact with the woman.
"But it's still special, right?" Hecate prompted gently, resting a hand on the giantess' cheek.
"Uh-huh…" Diane nodded with a fond smile on her flushed face
Hecate smiled softly at that, always happy to see her friends happy. She had always known about King's affection for the giantess, but it was always hard to know hers since she was always vying after their Captain. Giving her friend's face a light pat, the halfling stood after noticing their Captain waving to them.
"Looks like the Captain is ready." She mused and easily jumped off the woman's shoulder.
"Awe! And just when we were getting girly!" Diane teased, knowing that the halfling wasn't the type.
Laughing, Hecate headed inside the tavern, taking a seat next to Ban who raised an eyebrow at her in question.
"What?" she asked with a slight roll of her eyes.
"Where you been?" He questioned her, causing a snort to escape.
"I was just outside with Diane, I didn't think that would be a problem." She responded with a shrug, watching as he frowned a bit. "You have me at your side every night, Ban, I'm allowed to be with others aside from you during the day." She stated the moment she saw his mouth open.
Ban promptly closed his mouth and huffed, but he knew she was right. It wasn't like they could spend every waking hour with each other, they would probably go mad. Still, he didn't like it too much when he didn't know where she was.
"Still…" He grumbled childishly, causing the woman next to him to roll her eyes in amusement.
"Such a baby…" She teased, laughing when he swatted playfully at her.
"Am not!" He retorted.
Sitting at the table across from them, Elizabeth and their Captain couldn't help buy giggle at the two, while King merely rolled his eyes at their behavior. Hawk made a face at the two, clearly not amused as the others were with their childishly antics.
"You kinda are…" Both Diane and King piped up, causing the immortal to glare at them, much to Hecate's amusement as she sniggered.
"Would you two keep your noses outta this!?" Ban snapped, causing everyone to start laughing.
Sighing heavily, the immortal nudged his Kitten, poutung at her since everyone seemed to be ganging up on him. In one swift movement, he pulled his Kitten onto his lap, grinning as she let out a yelp at the suddenness of it.
"Let go of me, Ban!" His Kitten laughed softly as he held her close to him.
"No!" He stated simply, grining fondly down at her. "This is your punishment."
"For what?" the halfling complained with a slight whine.
"For calling me a baby!" the man shot back, the previous annoyance now turned into amusement.
"But you were being one!" Hecate pouted at him. "And your knees are digging into my ass!" She complained.
"Better my knees than your bony ass…" He muttered, causing his Kitten to gasp dramatically and playfully hit his chest.
"You ass!" She laughed.
"No, it's yours." Ban corrected her cheerily as she turned to stare at him.
The others watched in amusement as the two oddities stared at one another. Neither gave in to the other, proving much entertainment to the rest of their group. That was until the couple broke into laughter at the same time.
"Honestly, you two are disgusting!" Hawk complained, causing the other Sins to grin.
The rest of the journey was spent with idle chatter while Ban had his usual ale. Hecate didn't stray from his lap much unless, as he put it: 'her bony ass was making his legs fall asleep.' They did find out from their Captain that he had a lead on one of their Sacred Treasures, and that was where they were headed to, though he didn't really give them much detail except that the source was a patron from some time ago.
By the time they reached their destination, the group had split a little with King pulling the halfling away for a moment. He took her to the room she shared with Ban and handed her a piece of clothing. It was green in colour with thin straps around the neck and shoulders without a back on it. It had no design on it, something the woman preferred.
"I promised you a new top… so here… it's the best I can do right now…" He told her in a mumble, not making eye contact with her.
Taking the piece of cloth, Hecate smiled at the Faerie softly. "Thank you, King." She told him honestly, and while his back was turned, she tried it on.
To her great surprise and delight, the garment fit perfectly, and while it felt odd to have her back exposed, it was rather liberating. It was very easy to move in, which was perfect for her.
"It fits perfectly!" She told him, doing some stretches as she moved about.
"Good!" King smiled, glad he could fulfill his promise to her. "I figured you would prefer something easier to move on than your usual garbs, and this way when you use your ability, it won't restrict you either." He pointed out.
"Thank you, King." Cat told him honestly, giving him a soft smile. "I love it." She gave the Faerie a gentle hug before the two left to join the others.
And truth was, that she honestly did. She always found King's fashion sense, while not always stylish, always had function to it. When the two returned, much to her delight and embarrassment, Ban couldn't stop staring at her and at times her bare back. While it wasn't the first time he had seen her wear something backless, it usually wasn't by choice. This time, it was.
It wasn't long before Hawk's Mama stopped moving and began digging into the earth, leaving the tavern visible. Hecate had steppes out with her bag, ready to enter the town and explore. She didn't have to worry about covering herself up now that King replaced her top. Hecate has pulled her hair into a braid over her shoulder and stood outside with Elizabeth, Hawk, and their Captain. The tavern was nestled in a large, thick forest, and the town could be seen in the distance.
"That town clinging to the side of the mountain is Vaizel." Meliodas pointed the place out. "It's a merchant town."
"That means we can easily resupply, and I might be able to buy some new knives." Hecate mused happily, looking forward to doing the only type of shopping she enjoyed: weapons and books.
"Is it really here?" Hawk asked, unconvinced about the rumours the blonde had mentioned in passing.
"That customer a while ago said that a hammer was brought in that was so big no one could wield it, remember?" Meliodas spoke, turning to Hawk as Elizabeth and Hecate turned to each other for a moment and shared a shrug.
Hecate suspected that this happened before they all met up, which made it even more surprising that their Captain even remembered it. But she supposed that it was his way of keeping tabs on their group when he didn't know where anyone was. She had to admit, it was a smart way of doing it. As their Captain and Hawk spoke, Elizabeth and Hecare shared a look of amusement, causing them to giggle.
King floated over to them, having been listening in on their conversation, a curious look appearing in his eyes as he stopped near Hecate. She gave him a slight shrug, not knowing what was really happening, but knew that this was a lead they couldn't ignore.
"So, no one can wield it?" Elizabeth repeated as she reflected on what the Captain just said about the hammer.
"Could it be Diane's—" King began, his eyes widening in realization, only to be cut off by Ban as he sauntered out of the tavern, looking clearly annoyed.
"Screw that, do something about my clothes!" Ban complained, as he walked around still shirtless, he was focused on their Captain as he spoke while ignoring everyone else, though Hecate couldn't complain about the view.
Hey, she was biased.
"Cover up with an apron, then." Their Captain stated deadpanned, causing Hecate to snicker.
"This is why you shouldn't waste your money on booze…" Hecate teased the man, sticking her tongue out at him playfully.
"Mind your own business." Ban snapped at her, but his tone held no malice to it as she gave him a playful wink.
"And here I was thinking of being nice and lending you some money to buy clothes with." She sighed dramatically, shaking her head as she stuffed her hands into her pockets. "Guess I won't anymore…"
The look on Ban's face as it dropped in disbelief cause King to grin a bit. He always took pleasure in seeing the halfling play the immortal. It was clear that the two would never lose their playful banter, no matter the circumstances.
"That's not important!" Diane yelled out, interrupting the light attitude around them as she smashed her fists into the ground, causing everyone to fly up.
Elizabeth and Hawk let out screams as they flew up, but their Captain caught Elizabeth before she could get hurt as they all landed on the ground. Hecate wiped the dust from her clothes, unordered by the tantrum of her friend.
"Why am I being left behind to mind the tavern?!" the giantess complained as everyone landed back on their feet.
"We have to." Their Captain said casually with a sigh. "Ever since a Giant went wild at their festival a few years back, they've been banned from town." He told the giantess as she knelt before them, still pouting. "We'll come right back after we see what's what." He added, and it took everything in Hecate's power to not respond that their luck was the worst and that something was probably going to happen while they were there.
"No, it'll be boring!" Diane whined, shaking her head rapidly.
Hecate really couldn't blame Diane for that, most people would probably find it boring to be stuck in the middle of a forest to tend to the tavern alone. Though if things were different, Hecate would have happily stayed behind and amuse herself with some books or a walk through the forest.
"Uhm, I'll stay behind too." Elizabeth spoke up, seeing up distressed Diane was about being left behind.
"Are you sure?" Diane asked, sniffing a little, surprised that the princess would do something like that for her.
"Sure, I'd love to have a girl's chat for once." Elizabeth admitted with a smile and small laugh.
"A girl's chat…" Diane repeated happily and giggled at that. "Do you want to join us, Cat?" the Giantess asked, turning to the halfling curiously.
"As much as I'd love to, I really do need to head into town." Hecate responded with an apologetic smile, watching as her friend's face fell in disappointment. "But next time, okay?" she offered with a soft laugh, causing the Giantess and princess to smile back at her.
"I'm keeping you to that, Cat!" Diane said with a smile and giggle.
"Okay, let's go!" Their Captain said with a smile, pleased with the outcome and led the way into town.
Before they left though, Ban, much to Hecate's amusement, did as their Captain suggested and wore an apron over the top half of his body. It was a ridiculous notion that he had to be clothed, and no one knew where it had come from, not even the halfling who tried her best not to laugh any time she saw him. As much as they didn't want to comment on it or mention how him wearing an apron was worse than being bare chested, they knew nothing would change Ban's mind until he had 'proper' clothing on.
Hecate took the rear as the four of them headed out, she kept an eye out for anything that could be out of the ordinary or something of interest. It didn't take them long to get to the town and much to Hecate's surprise, it was rather a nice, little place. There were merchant stalls on either side of the street, most having sales due to a festival that day. As they walked around, taking everything in, a stall caught Hecate's eye and she stopped for a moment to browse, unbeknownst to the others.
"I'll catch up with you guys later!" she called out to them, knowing it wouldn't be hard to find them later.
"Alright!" Their Captain grinned at her as he, King and Ban continued on their way.
Catching Ban's eye, she gave him a recurring smile that she would be alright and he could go on without her. He wasn't happy as he gave her a look, but he sighed and nodded a little. Once they were gone, the halfling turned back to the stall with a giddy smile and stood in front of the books. Not really paying attention to others around her.
It was a stall selling books that caught her eye and she wanted to see if they had anything that she could add to her collection. Hecate loved reading, but she had already read through the books she had currently and wanted something new. Or old, if she could find a copy of a book she had lent out years ago to one of the Sins. As she browsed, she felt more than saw the person next to her stop browsing and stare at her.
"Looking for something specific?" a voice asked her, their tone familiar, yet strange to her as she paused in browsing.
Turning, Hecate blinked slowly at the face before her. A male with short green hair and golden eyes stared back her, almost surprised to see her there as she was. Something about him struck her though, as if she knew him, personally, but for the life of her she couldn't pinpoint where or how she knew him.
"I suppose so…" She responded softly, remembering that he had asked her a question. "Have you seen anything on the old legends of the country?" She inquired, feeling that it was a safe question to ask.
"Not here, no." the male responded simply, causing her to deflate a little. "But, I borrowed this book off someone a while ago, and maybe it's time to finally return it to its rightful owner." He mused thoughtfully and handed her a worn, but still intact copy of the book she had been looking for.
Looking down at it, Hecate paused before opening it to the front cover, feeling her heart clench at the sight of her mother's beautiful, though faded, cursive writing. 'To my little Catie, I know how much you love these stories. So here is a collection for you to always keep when you need to remember who you are. Love always, Mama.'
Staring at the words, Hecate felt tears prick at her eyes as she looked over at the man, knowing exactly who he was. "Gowther…" She murmured the name so quietly that it hardly passed her lips.
The man gave her a smile, but it never reached his eyes as he nodded his head, a familiar trait he man had. She knew he didn't look like his usual self, even though she had only seen him out of his armor a couple times by accident. But the honestly never expected to find him out and about like this. Usually he never went anywhere without his armor.
"What are you doing here?" She asked him curiously, placing the book into her bag for later.
"Same as you, browsing books." He replied nonchalantly and turned back to the stacks. "I'm looking for something to read to a friend… but I'm not getting anywhere…" he said, seemingly sighing a bit.
"Might I make a suggestion?" She offered, knowing that the man trusted her judgment, at least when it came to books.
Nodding his head, Gowther stepped back to let the halfling go at it, knowing she could find something of interest. As he studied her, he could tell something was different with her. There was an air of contentment and peace around her, something that didn't happen often with her.
He had noticed the others were there too, of course. It was hard to not notice them while going around. However, he never expected to see them all together like this. While he wouldn't mind joining them again, Gowther had someone to look out for at the current time.
A book appeared in front of him, causing his eyes to widen in surprise as he looked at the title. It was a book of stories, one that he had never seen before. He stared at it for a few moments before taking it slowly, and turned to the halfling before him.
"This is a good one too. It's similar to the one I lent you, but it's a little more modern." Hecate explained easily. "Maybe you and your friend will enjoy them."
"I think we will, thank you, Hecate." Gowther nodded, tucking the book into his bag.
"You're welcome." She smiled kindly, bobbing her head a little.
"What were you originally looking for, before the books caught your interest?" Gowther asked, following the woman when she moved along.
"Oh, just some new knives…" She chuckled sheepishly. "My last pair broke."
"Again?" Gowther questioned, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Yes, I'm hoping my next pair will be made better." She admitted, sighing a little as they walked by the different vendors.
"Have you considered not using weapons while fighting?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"I like the feel of knives. I've always used them." She shrugged, stopping by a weapons dealer and began browsing their wares, but was finding them unimpressive and low quality.
Gowther didn't respond to her, just nodded with a hum as she moved onto another vendor. This one seemed to have better quality of items in stock, as he began talking about some of his items.
"Each blade here was handmade by our smiths," the vendor began proudly. "we mine all the one ourselves and craft them into the blades we envisioned."
Hecate found herself nodding along, paying attention, but not fully taking the words to heart. She could admit that the craftsmanship of the blades was beautifully done, and they were very appealing to the eye. She was just unsure of their functionality in actual battle.
"Is there anything you're looking for in particular?" He asked curiously.
"Knives, particularly." She told him, straightening up once more.
"I think you might like these then," the man stated with a knowing smile, "I can tell you're a woman of fine taste." To her surprise, the man then brought out a pair of black obsidian blades.
They were finely shaped, almost the length of her forearm with a steel hilt with a blood red stone embedded in it. The man offered her the hilt of each blade and gingerly took them, testing out the weight and balance of the blades. There was wonder and childish glee in her eyes as she tested them out, nodding to herself about something. She wielded the blades like a natural extension of herself, and the sunlight caused the blades to almost glow.
"Beautiful…" Hecate couldn't help but purr out, completely entranced by the feel od the blades. "How much are they?" She asked curiously, passing the blade back, reluctantly.
"Usually I wouldn't even consider selling them to anyone," the man said to the two, his expression turning serious for a moment. "the craftsman who made them died a few years ago, and never passed on his secrets. This is one of the last sets we have of his."
Hecate's face and heart dropped at that, having already grown attached to the blades after handling them. Gowther was slightly tempted to help her out, but knew it would bring too much attention to themselves. Besides, it wasn't any of his business what Hecate wanted.
"But, after seeing how well you treated those knives, without hearing their story and how you handled them, I'll give you a fair price." The vendor continued on, much to the two Sin's surprise. "I'll also add a discount I'd you're planning on fighting in the festival this year."
"I'm guessing it's weaponless though, right?" Hecate asked, peeking up a bit now.
"Right, but we always give participants a discount if they fight." The vendor chuckled, causing her to smiled brightly.
"Well, then I can't simply refuse to participate then for such a generous offer." She agreed without a second thought. There was no way she could turn an offer like that down, especially not for a pair of knives like those.
"Why would you generously give such a sentimental possession away like that?" Gowther asked the man curiously, not understanding what was going on.
The vendor turned to the man with a slight frown. "Because I saw the way she looks at those knives and I know she'll take care of them. I would rather see these knives go to someone who would treat them right than have them locked away where they are left to be forgotten."
"I still don't understand…" Gowther muttered with a slight sigh before shrugging to himself. "But I best be on my way. I have been gone for a while now. I'll see you again, Hecate."
Turning around, Gowther left without another word or look, causing the vendor and halfling to sigh a little.
"You have a strange friend there Miss…" He admitted, almost hesitantly.
"Trust me, he's not even the strangest…" She sighed a bit, smiling wearily as she thought about the other Sins. "But as we were talking about, how much I owe you for the knives?"
Hecate had a spring in her step as she walked through the town, trying to find the rest of the Sins before they got into trouble without her. She had her new knives strapped to her thighs, quite happy to have a weapon on her again. As she walked, she stopped by a few more stalls, and picked up some items she thought might be useful. The road she was on headed towards the center of town where a large group was beginning to gather.
"Cat!" her Captain called out, catching her attention as they came up from another side. He waved her over to them, grinning at her widely once she joined them. "We found Diane's Gideon!" he told her excitedly.
"That's great!" she responded, happy to know that the rumour had been true after all.
"Now, let the annual Vaizel Fighting Festival begin!" A loud voice declared over the sound of the voices from the crowd, causing the group to turn to the center of town. "The use of weapons is strictly forbidden!" the announcer explained. "Men who let their fists do the talking should sign up right away! The winner gets one hundred gold coins, and we're throwing in this Giant's war hammer as an added bonus!" More cheering came from the crowd, who were getting riled up and ready for action.
"What a barbaric festival… Right, Captain?" King spoke in disgust as he looked at the announcer and the crowd. He never could understand why humans and other races enjoyed battle.
Hecate couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for him though since she was planning on entering the contest. After all, she had promised the merchant who sold her the knives that she would be. And she was a woman of her word, plus, it did sound like fun. She didn't have to look over at their Captain and Ban to know they would immediately sign up and fight.
"We're signing up, right?" Ban said, looking over at their Captain, who had the same look of wanting on his face as Ban did.
"Let's see who's the best." Their Captain responded and Hecate felt herself sighing.
"Those two are hopeless…" She shook her head. "But I really can't say I'm so different…" she added sheepishly, scratching her cheek lightly.
"You too?!" King gaped at her, causing the other two to pause in their excitement and look over at her as she nodded.
"Of course, I got an amazing discount on my new knives, and I promised to fight if he gave me even more of a discount if I fought." She cooed, lovingly running a hand over her weapons. "It would be a shame to let that kind man down after being so generous to me."
King looked at her with disbelief, having a hard time processing what he had just heard. He was going to protest again when their Captain suddenly grabbed King by the hood of his jacket and began dragging him along with them as they started towards the arena.
"Hey, count us in!" Meliodas called out as their group walked through the masses, his other arm raised up.
"Count me out!" King struggled against their Captain to no avail.
Before their blonde Captain could move, he was lifted off the ground by the collar of his shirt, cauing him to release King. Looking up, they were greeted by an oversized, muscular man with small, beady eyes. He didn't look amused that they were there to fight, and when he looked over at Hecate, his face contorted even more in disdain. She lifted her chin in defiance, not planning on backing down.
"This ain't no festival for kids, or girls!" he shouted. "Beat it!"
"Sorry, I don't see what the problem is." Their Captain responded, unfazed by the harsh treatment.
"Seriously? I doubt you could even land a hand on us if we were serious about it." Hecate responded with a roll of her eyes, causing the man to focus on her now.
"Little girls should be playing with clothes and dolls, not butting into the man's world." He sneered down at her, causing Hecate's temper to flare up.
Just as Hecate was about to step towards him to show him a thing or two, someone else stepped in, much to her surprise, resting a hand on the lug's arm. The man in question was tall, and while not bulky as some, he had a fair amount of muscle to him. He had fair skin and dark blonde hair that was partially slicked back with purple eyes. He was wearing a sleeveless yellow top with purple, pinstriped pants and brown boots.
"Hey, buddy." The man said casually, lowering the man's arm with ease while the other guy struggled against him. "Don't spoil the fun, okay? This is a festival."
"Who do you think—" the lug began protesting, growing more irritated than he already was as he released their Captain to focus on the interloper. "You know that I'm Taizoo, the winner of this festival three years running, right?" he stated as he pointed to himself proudly before walking away angrily, probably not going to forget this interaction.
"Now then…" the man said, rubbing the back of his head eagerly. "My job has always gotten in the way every year!" he spoke excitedly, more to himself than together group. "Sweet! My dream of fighting here is coming true at last!" he shouted giddily, and it took everything in Hecate's power to not laugh at the man's excitement.
"Let's have a great time!" he added, winking over at them before heading off as well.
"Where have I seen him before?" King wondered, and Hecate was getting that same feeling too, but shrugged it off as they followed the man's lead.
"Oh well, nothing we should worry about right now." she shrugged, turning to the others. "Now, let's have some fun!" she giggled and bounded over to the rock so they could get this thing started.
Before getting to the center, Hecate took her knives off and placed them in her satchel so she wouldn't tempted to use them later. While she didn't mind leaving her belongings with someone she trusted, she didn't plan on doing that here. Not unless it with one of her friends. Much to her amusement and horror, their Captain assigned Ban to register them in the fight before she could volunteer to do so. Ban disappeared before she could go with him and she gave the blonde a look.
"You know he's gonna be an idiot about this, right?" She stated simply.
"I thought you trusted him, Cat." Their Captain asked, tilting his head a bit.
"Oh, I do, with my life. But…" She shrugged a little, "you know how he is…"
Sighing to herself, Hecate let the topic drop, knowing that their Captain didn't see what she did. As much as she adored Ban and their Captain, the two could be unbelievably oblivious sometimes. Shaking her head, she watched as Ban rejoined them with a proud smirk on his face. Giving the man a side glance with a raised eyebrow, his grin widened as he winked at her.
Before she could question him, their Captain ushered them towards the arena so they could wait for the event to begin. Out of their group, only King was being forced into this event. There were quite a few contestants who stood with them while the crowd behind them grew in size. Even the shops closed down so they could watch the main event.
"The Fighting Festival elimination round will now begin!" the announcer declared over the crowd. "Fighters, step into the ring!"
"I wish I stayed behind with Diane…" King complained, sighing as he followed their Captain and Ban into the ring.
"Maybe you can next time." Hecate offered, smiling softly at him. "I know these events aren't your thing."
"Thanks, Cat." King murmured quietly, giving the halfling a soft smile.
Smiling back at him, Hecate nodded slightly, before looking around at the other contestants. She was a little disappointed at what she saw, since most people there looked to be ordinary men, which meant she would have to pull her punches a bit. While they did look strong, she knew that compared her group and that man from earlier, they wouldn't be able to compare. She raised her arms above her head and stretched, listening to the satisfying pops in her joints.
"Okay, let's get Diane's sacred treasure back!" The Captain declared with a grin as they stood in the center of the contestants.
"You're so embarrassing sometimes." Hecate laughed when the others agreed, but she couldn't stop herself from agreeing though.
"It's the Vaizel Fighting Festival elimination round!" the announcer spoke over the crowd once everyone gathered in the arena. "The referee will be yours truly, Love Helm! The rules of this round are simple in the extreme!" he explained to everyone. "Knock your opponent out of this ring! Throw them out, okay! Push them out, okay! Punch them into the air, also okay! If it's barehanded, it's okay! The eight contestants still standing will move on to the finals!"
There was a murmur going through the contestants, and Hecate found herself nodding to herself. Her earlier suspicions were proven correct about the event and she was glad she placed her knives into her bag when she did. She was surprised to hear that they would limit the main event to eight people, but she supposed it was best that way. While she didn't want to win, she wanted to have some fun and test her strength against others.
"Without further ado, let the elimination round begin!" the announcer called as he flew up into the air and out of the way as fighters began rushing one another.
It was chaos on top of the arena as fists and bodies flew across the stage. Hecate hadn't moved from her spot, merely dodging or deflecting anyone who tried targeting her, thinking she was weak because she was a woman. It was both a little flattering and tiring as she kicked another fighter away from her. Sighing, she cracked her neck as she turned around to see how the other Sins were doing. Like she suspected, the others were doing fine, though King wasn't having as much fun as the other two were. Ban and their Captain were having a blast fighting the others, though they were pulling their punches so they didn't hurt the others too much.
In passing, she could almost hear her Captain say something to the others, but she was too far away to hear him clearly. She continued dodging and kicking people away. At one point, she heard someone call her name causing her to twirl around and bend backwards, almost touching the ground, just as King and another contestant flew right over her and out of the arena. She blinked with wide eyes as she pulled herself up and looked over at them, noticing that King was floating in the sky, hugging his pillow tightly with clenched eyes. She doubted he even realized what was going on.
"That was a close one…" she murmured herself, and straightened out her top. "Thanks!" she called out to Ban who gave her a wide grin, winking at her as he punched a guy in the face.
Looking around a little, she could see that more and more people were being tossed out of the arena, but she was still surprised that King had lasted so long. The Faerie wasn't a physical fighter, his strength lied in magic.
"Unless he's using King's love for Diane to his advantage… which sound just like him…" she muttered under her breath with a sigh, knowing that was exactly what happened.
After a few more minutes of seeing no one else in the ring trying to get her, Hecate allowed herself to drop to the ground with a groan, happy to sit for a bit. She leaned back on her hands, only for her back to hit a pair legs. Looking up, she gave Ban a soft grin and relaxed against him a they waited for something else to happen.
"So, who is still standing in the ring?" Love Helm called out, seeing as there weren't many people left.
As people counted, there was a debate going on in the crowd about the number left. Some could only see seven, while others saw eight, but no one could come to an agreement. At least someone pointed out that King hadn't technically been disqualified since he was still floating. Then others would point Hecate out, as she was sitting calmly in front of Ban still, not bothering to stand up. This caused another debate to go around.
"I admit that it's playing dirty, but no weapons are being used!" Love Helm stated. "Therefore, I'll allow it!" he declared, much to everyone's surprise, King included.
Feeling a nudged in her back, the halfling sighed and stood up with the immortals help so everyone could see that he was still in the arena. There were a few murmurs going around now whether King still qualified or not since many considered he was cheating because he was floating or whether Hecate belonged since she hadn't been standing before.
"And what about me?" Hecate asked, tilting a bit. "I was here the entire time too." She pointed and heard few people in the crowd cheer her on.
Everyone watched as Love Helm began panicking, after he already said that the Faerie could continue fighting. He looked around madly, trying to figure something out so everyone was happy and they could continue on with the fights. Thinking quickly on his feet, he came up with a decision.
"Folks! We are in for a special treat this year!" He declared loudly, causing the crowd to grow quiet. "This year, we are going to have nine contestants competing for the prize! That means we get more fights and have a preliminary fight to see who get into the finals!"
The news had its desired effect on the crowd as people cheered happily at the decision. Hecate looked around at the remaining contestants, and aside from her and the Sins, there was the blonde man from earlier and the supposed champion. There was also a larger man with long dark hair who looked like he didn't want to be there in the first place, an older an holding onto a bottle of ale, and a fighter wearing a purple cloak and large hat.
Everyone there seemed to be skilled at fighting, which made Hecate even more determined to make it through the challenges.
"Now, this shall be fun, eh, Kitten?" Ban purred into her ear as he leaned down over her.
"Oh, you have no idea." Hecate responded with a smile.
"Let the games begin, then." He purred to her as the two began making their way towards the others.
As this was happening, the remaining contestants were told to follow Love Helm into a building nearby. Hecate was separated from Ban, and she ended up near the blonde from earlier, who gave her a grin. As they entered the hut, she could hear her Captain and man teasing King about cheating in order to stay in the fight, while the Faerie tried to defend himself, which wasn't going well. The small hut was just big enough to fit everyone inside it comfortably without being cramped. Everyone formed a semi-circle with Love Helm in the center, snapping his fingers to get everyone's attention.
"The first round will be fought between contestants who draw the same letter!" Love Helm explained as he held a jar filled with sticks above his head so everyone could see. "Only three of you will have the same letter, and from there we will pick two of you at random to fight and see who gets the final spot in the finals!" He tried to rile the contestants up, but instead he got a bunch of shrugs and side glances.
Clearing his throat, he had everyone stand in line to take turns drawing sticks. Despite her reservations, Hecate felt intrigued with the way Love Helm had conducted the line up, but it was a bit underwhelming if she was honest. Everything was done by chance, it seemed, and while it did mean things would be fair, she honestly doubted it was. Once she got her stick, she moved off to the side where she ended up near the blonde from earlier. She was tempted to join her friends, but she wanted to distance herself a bit, at least until she knew who she would be fighting. Knowing her luck though, she'd be fighting to place in the finals…
She twirled her stick around in her hand, leaning against the wall as the man let out a sigh. It seemed he wasn't happy with the letter he drew, or he could be bored with having to wait until the fighting got started.
"Impatient?" she asked the blonde, startling him as he jumped slightly.
Looking down at her, the blonde sheepishly smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "A bit…" he admitted with a weak laugh. "How about you?"
"Not really…" Hecate admitted with a sigh, "I just know that I'll be one of the three who have to fight it out for the last spot." A pout formed on her face, causing the blonde to laugh lightly.
"You can't have that bad of luck." He teased her, snickering when she shot him a deadpanned look.
"Just watch…" Hecate muttered, sighing again as someone cleared their throat, causing everyone to turn to Love Helm again.
"I will now announce the fight cards!" Love Helm declared once everyone had their sticks. "The first pairing is Griamore vs. Matrona!" he stated as he went down the list. "The second pairing is… Howzer vs. Taizoo!"
Hearing Howzer's name, Hecate immediately turned to the beaming blonde next to her in surprise. She had heard his name before in passing, if she remembered correctly, he was a Holy Knight, a rather esteemed one too. Though when he appeared earlier, she did remember hearing him say that he finally had time off work to attend the event.
When she looked over at the others, she caught King's panicked look and watched as he turned towards Ban. That was when she remembered that their Captain had the immortal sign them up. She grew even more worried now, dreading what name he had given them, and feared what it would mean if he didn't think this through. It didn't matter how much trust Hecate placed in the man; she knew they were all at risk when it came to Ban's lackadaisical attitude. She watched as Ban began laughing at King's panic and merely patted him on top of the head, causing the woman to run a hand over her face.
"You have to be kidding me…" she muttered out loud, but to herself as she wondered just what her man got them into now.
"What do you mean?" Howzer asked, not understanding what was going on as he looked down at her curiously, but she merely shook her head, not able to get the words out properly.
"Next, the fourth pairing!" Love Helm spoke up, catching everyone's attention. "Cain vs… Old Fart!"
It took Hecate a moment to realize who 'Old Fart' was and the moment she did, she had to cover her mouth so she wouldn't laugh. As hilarious as she found the name, she couldn't help but pity King. It was truly unfortunate, but everyone in their group knew it was a reference to his human form. Across the ways, Ban and their Captain were laughing out loud at the name, especially Ban as King slowly figured out that it was him that Ban had named. Hecate could only watch in amusement as King chewed Ban out for calling him something like that instead of giving him a proper name like a normal person would. Sadly, they were not a normal group, and expecting anything of the like was… well… insane.
"Man, those guys are loud, aren't they?" Howzer complained a bit, looking over at the trio, though from the look on his face, Hecate knew he wasn't annoyed at them at all, more amused and curious than anything.
"Trust me, this is tamed compared to how they usually are." Hecate chuckled, giving the man a slight smile when he looked down at her again. "Unfortunately, I have the worst luck possible, so that means I'm stuck with fighting one of the other two there." She nodded to Ban and their Captain.
"Chin up," Howzer chuckled, nudging her lightly. "I'm sure you can take them." He grinned widely and Hecate couldn't help but laugh.
"Yeah?" she mused, knowing it was possible to win, but that was only if the others played fairly, which they never did, especially not with each other.
"Definitely. They don't seem that tough." Howzer puffed his chest out, causing the halfling to laugh some more.
"Geez, where can I get that type of confidence?" she teased him and watched as a bashful smile cross his face.
Before Howzer could respond, Love Helm cleared his throat before giving them the news that Hecate knew was going to cause her the most trouble that day.
"Our final pairing, and the one that has three contestants in is… Meliodaf vs. Baaaan vs. Kitty Cat!" Love Helm declared much to Hecate's mortification.
"Oh, that man did not…" she groaned, running a hand over her face as she looked over at Ban with a mocking glare.
Ban couldn't help but grin widely at his Kitten's look. He had, obviously, given her a name that he knew she hated, but one that often came out when it came to teasing her. He felt himself swell with pride as she shook her head and crossed her arms in a huff. His grin turned into a wicked smirk when he winked at her and watched as she rolled her eyes back at him, a smirk began playing on her lips as she started becoming amused too by his antics.
"You know, she's going to kill you for that…" King stated blandly, causing the immortal to scoff at the Faerie.
"She'll get over it, she doesn't mind anyway." Ban complained, waving the man off.
"But he's right, you know… Cat hates that name." their Captain chuckled, grinning at the man knowingly.
"You keep dangerous company there…" Howzer mused cautiously, looking down at the woman and then at the men.
"Oh, I know, but I can handle myself just fine." Hecate gave the man a secret smile that he couldn't discern, and he began to grow worried.
There was something primal in her smile that put Howzer off. It was almost as if he was looking at a wild animal that knew exactly who her prey was and how to get at them without making a scene. It was startling to realize just how dangerous the woman looked at that moment, despite her large eyes and child-like attitude. She would be someone he would have to lookout for, just in case she went off tilter.
Looking over at the two, Ban felt himself shift awkwardly, the feeling of jealousy bubbling up again in his chest as he glared at the boy. While he knew they were trying to stay out of the spotlight, he couldn't help but want to make it clear that his Kitten was not to be messed with. Running a hand over his face, Ban inhaled deeply, trying to control himself from making a scene. When he decided to name her 'Kitty Cat' he knew what his intentions were, and he hoped that when they fought in the arena that they would be able to have fun. It had been so long since he had really sparred with her, that he wanted to make sure things hadn't changed too much after the previous night.
"Our first fight will be between Baaaan and Kitty Cat!" Love Helm declared to the group.
"Wow… you were right… you do have bad luck…" Howzer commented, blinking down at the woman as she let out a groan.
"You're telling me…" Hecate murmured, running a hand over her face.